Asian American Conference Draws Record Turnout

Over 600 people attended the ninth annual Harvard Asian American Intercollegiate conference this weekend sponsored by the Asian American Association (AAA).

Conference attendees from as far away as the University of Washington participated in events including a cultural and arts show, discussion groups and panel discussions.

Speakers included U.S. congressional representative Robert Matsui (D-Calif.), actor Irene S. Ng '97 and actor Garrett Wang of "Star Trek: Voyager."

According to Conference Co-Director Daniel P. Chung '00, this year's was one of the most successful conferences ever.

Almost half the conference participants came from other colleges, including the University of Southern California, the University of Minnesota and the University of Toronto, Chung said.

"I was constantly amazed at the turnout," said Brian J. Choi '00, administrator to the cultural arts committee.

The focus of the conference was forging a new Asian American identity. According to Chung, this focus meant an appreciation of the great diversity within Asian America.

"There was a healthy exchange of ideas within the discussion groups about the Asian American family, cultural identities and new challenges that face the Asian American community," Chung said.

These discussions extended outside of the collegiate community, according to Chung.

"We Want to know if there are going to be new, less stereotypical roles that Asians can play," Chung said.

One of the highlights of the conference was the cultural and arts show. Acts included everything from hip-hop group The Mountain Brothers, to a kung fu demonstration.

"The Mountain Brothers are the first Asian-American hip-hop group to be signed for a major record label," Choi said. The group is signed with Columbia Records.

According to Thu P. Ho '00, who sang a traditional Vietnamese song at the festival, the show was one of the most powerful parts of the festival.

"I think it really affected a lot of people there," Ho said.

Ho's song, which translates to "The calm reflective surface who smiles" was taken from a Vietnamese poem. "I translated it into English so that the audience could get the meaning," Ho said.

Ho was also a participant in many conference events. "The overall atmosphere of the students from other colleges added a lot," Ho said. "Everyone wanted to learn and explore their feelings about Asian American issues."

Chung said he has received a lot of positive feedback from conference participants.

"I've gotten many positive responses," Chung said. "I think that everyone went away pleased with their experience."

The Conference was able to attract dynamic talent to the conference because of increased funding, according to AAA Co-Business Director Jeremy L. Kwan '00.

Kwan helped increase funding for the conference by soliciting funds from national corporations.

Corporations who sponsored the event included the Princeton Review, Anheuser-Busch and Cambridge Trust Bank.

"We wanted to do a lot more than last year," Kwan said. "One of the big problems last year was money, and this year we didn't want money to constrain our vision."

Kwan said he wants to see the conference grow even more next year.

"We always want to do more," Kwan said.